Find speakers by:
Request more info

Chris Barton

Founder and Creator, Shazam | Entrepreneur | Tech Investor

Chris Barton Headshot
Speaker Reel
Chris Barton on stage
An Audacious Idea Ahead of Its Time
Chris Barton On stage 2
Creative Persistence
Chris
Chris Barton on stage
Chris Barton On stage 2
Chris Barton Headshot
Speaker Reel
Chris Barton on stage
An Audacious Idea Ahead of Its Time
Chris Barton On stage 2
Creative Persistence

Tech entrepreneur Chris Barton changed the way the world discovers music while laying the groundwork for the consumer AI industry we know today. The holder of 12 patents, he is the founder and creator of Shazam, the global phenomenon with over two billion downloads and Apple’s sixth-largest acquisition to date. Barton’s captivating story and infectious enthusiasm inspires audiences to believe anything is possible. Through sharing his “Start from Zero” methodology, he empowers people to make big things happen in their organizations and create magic in defiance of any and all obstacles.

Founded in 2000, Shazam was far ahead of its time — three years before iTunes, seven years before the iPhone, and eight years before the App Store. In its ideation stage, Barton was told by professors at both MIT and Stanford that his idea was impossible, but he refused to take no for an answer. A true AI pioneer, Barton not only invented an entirely new technology, but also built a search engine supercomputer from scratch, and created the world’s largest music database.

For six years, Shazam teetered on the brink of bankruptcy as it waited for key digital advancements to arrive and allow it to unleash its full potential on the world. In 2018, Shazam, and its 200 employees, was acquired by Apple and today, it is considered one of the world’s most popular apps. It even inspired the popular game show, Beat Shazam, hosted by Jamie Foxx.

Barton has cemented his position in tech history. Aside from Shazam, he is also a founding member of Google’s Android Partnerships team, where he created Android’s mobile operator partnership framework, and worked at Dropbox for four years leading carrier partnerships. In addition, Barton holds 12 patents, including one found within the Google search algorithm that billions of people use everyday.

Today, Barton invests in a wide range of startups and is building his third company, Guard, a system that detects drowning in swimming pools using artificial intelligence. He is also a popular keynote speaker, who draws from his incredible career of achieving the impossible, despite having dyslexia, to inspire and motivate audiences around the world.

Prior to his audacious technology career, Barton was a strategy consultant and earned two master’s degrees from UC Berkeley and Cambridge University.

Speaking topics

Presentations listed below include in-person and virtual keynotes, as well as workshops, fireside chats, and other presentation formats.

Need assistance?

Client reviews

  • Chris customized a powerful keynote that delivered significant value for Coca-Cola. His messages sparked action among our executives and inspired our bottler partners toward our goals. Chris’ energy and enthusiasm really stands out. He is an inspiration with truly eye-opening insights and stories.

  • Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant speaker! Chris delivered an inspiring and on-point presentation tailored to over 7,000 Optus employees to launch our new innovation strategy. To date, Chris’ talk attracted the highest in real-time attendance and engagement as compared to any other speaker we have had on this topic. Chris shed light on how innovation can be a big breakthrough, but it can also be an everyday improvement, sharing practical examples from

    his time at Shazam and Google. The presentation balanced both the mindset that is required to drive a cultural shift for innovation as well as the process to bring innovative ideas to life. Chris delivered a compelling talk that generated talkability across the organization with leaders revisiting the recording later with their teams to help reinforce key messages. Powerful content delivered with an engaging story!

  • We recently had Chris Barton speak at our 40th anniversary celebration. He delivered what was by far the best one-hour keynote that our clients and staff had ever seen. Chris was an insightful, energetic, and entertaining speaker with thought-provoking ideas.

  • We invited Chris as our keynote speaker for two events that we held in Brazil and Mexico for Mercado Libre in the summer of 2022. We invited more than 60 CEOs and top executives to these exclusive “C-club” events. Chris worked with us to understand the key objectives of these events and delivered a truly inspiring keynote speech that was customized for our goals. Our guests were thrilled! Chris’ powerful messages and stories changed their thinking on innovation. Everyone was able to take away unique insights that they can apply day to day in both their organizations and personal lives. It was very important for us at Mercado Libre to work with someone who reflects our culture and Chris could not have been a better partner. He is a down-to-earth and humble person who dreams big and is always thinking about new ways to improve people’s lives. At a personal level, I can say that it was a huge pleasure to meet Chris.

  • Chris embodies inspiration from head to toe. We loved his stories and insights on the core mindsets that lead to game-changing innovation. His delivery was fun, genuine, and honest, both during his speech and as our “guest star” at my leadership team’s offsite dinner.

  • Every single person loved your presentation. All day people were coming up to me. They loved that there was so much take away. People are still buzzing about your presentation days later. Thanks for making me look good.

  • Chris’ keynote completely captivated our audience of 1700+ SAP customers, partners, and employees. His talk was truly entertaining and inspiring. Our audience’s perception of entrepreneurial innovation was completely transformed.

  • Chris delivered! He captivated the audience at our annual summer event. His firsthand stories as well as insights drawn from other companies were fascinating to our EO members that come from so many businesses. Chris left us with compelling lessons and a fresh perspective that will stick for years to come.

  • A good speaker communicates but a great speaker connects. As an emcee, applause usually signals the end of one speech and is my cue to get back on stage. Chris is a different breed of speaker — his story is so authentic and inspiring that he received multiple applause breaks throughout his speech. A particularly impressive feat especially given that he was addressing 5000+ predominantly German business professionals after they had already been wowed by President Obama earlier at that same event. I’ve been a professional emcee and host to over 500 events around the world and I must say Chris is a truly gifted speaker and genuinely beautiful soul.

You might also like

Related speakers.